Educational Science

What If a 9.0-Magnitude Earthquake Hit Seattle?

The simulations don't paint a pretty picture for Seattle or the coastal areas of Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and Northern California, but the locations of some epicenters were a bit more forgiving than others. People have done simulations like this in the past, but they only did one or two,...

What Caused Mexico's 2 Major Earthquakes in 2 Weeks?

First came the 8.1-magnitude earthquake that struck offshore of Chiapas, Mexico, killing dozens and turning many buildings in the nearby region into rubble. Then, less than two weeks later and about 400 miles (650 kilometers) away, a 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit Mexico City and the surrounding area, killing more than 200...

California earthquakes are a geologic inevitability. The state straddles the North American and Pacific tectonic plates and is crisscrossed by the San Andreas and other active fault systems. The magnitude 7.9 earthquake that struck off Alaska's Kodiak Island on Jan. 23, 2018 was just the latest reminder of major seismic...

A Magnitude-4.1 Earthquake Just Hit Delaware

This story was updated Nov. 30 at 11:18 p.m. EST. A magnitude-4.1 earthquake just hit near Dover, Delaware, surprising people in the First State, a place unaccustomed to tremblers. The earthquake hit 5 miles (8.1 kilometers) underground at 4:47 p.m. EST today (Nov. 30), according to the U.S. Geological Survey...

Where in the Pacific Northwest Will the Next Monstrous Earthquake Strike?

Scientists have known that The Really big One, a monstrous 9.0-magnitude earthquake, may hit the Pacific Northwest within the next several decades. New geological research just determined that the quake is likely to strike northern Oregon or Washington State. The Pacific Northwest sits atop the Cascadia subduction zone, which is...

Images: Rare Footage of the Devastation of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake

Devastation Revealed (Image credit: Courtesy of Silver Shadows Gallery Ltd.)At 5:12 a.m. on April 18, 1906, one of the largest earthquakes in California history shook the city of San Francisco awake.Estimated to measure somewhere between magnitude 7.7 and 8.3, the quake destroyed thousands of homes, ignited some 30 fires and...

Swarm of 200 Earthquakes Hits Yellowstone - Here's What That Means

A swarm of more than 200 earthquakes struck Yellowstone National Park over the past two weeks, but that probably doesn't mean the big one is coming anytime soon, according to geologists from the park. The 200 temblors began on Feb. 8 and ramped up on Feb. 15 in an area...

Major Earthquake Strikes Off Alaska

Update: This story was updated to indicate the cancellation of the tsunami watches and warnings. A strong earthquake struck off the southern coast of Alaska early Tuesday (Jan. 23), prompting a tsunami warning, which was later canceled. The earthquake, which had a magnitude of 7.9, hit 175 miles (280 kilometers)...

Were Mexico's Recent Earthquakes Related?

Over the past two weeks, Mexico has experienced a lot of shaking. On Sept. 8, a magnitude-8.1 earthquake struck 54 miles (87 kilometers) southwest of Pijijiapan, which sits just above the Mexico-Guatemala border. Eleven days later, a magnitude-7.1 quake struck 3 miles (5 km) east of Raboso, near Mexico City....

Tiny Slowdown in Earth's Rotation Could Unleash Major Earthquakes

A tiny slowdown in Earth's rotation next year could trigger more earthquakes than usual, new research suggests. Past periods of slow rotation over the last 100 years have coincided with more earthquakes than average, according to research presented last month at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America....